Paganism "Wheel of the Year" Project

[slwx]

So I recently started learning about Paganism, and decided to start a project based on the Wheel of the Year, to further my understanding. The Pagan year consists of 8 seasonal celebrations. Four of these are the equinoxes and solstices, and the remaining four are positioned between each of these. With each I add a small description of how I interpret them.

Here are the first four!

Imbolc - 2nd February

Imbolc is celebrated around the start of February, and though still cold, new life is starting to show in the form of snowdrops and other early blooming flowers. Winter is not finished, but the worst has passed and early signs of Spring are appearing.


Imbolc by Adam Browning, on Flickr

Spring Equinox - 20th March

Spring equinox or Ostara is a celebration of new and returning life. Eggs and hares symbolise this time, eggs as a symbol of new life, and hares for their ability to conceive a second litter before delivering the first.


Ostara by Adam Browning, on Flickr

Beltane - 1st May

Beltane is a celebration of fertility and purity. The world has come to life, creatures are mating and raising young, flowers are in bloom. Fire is an important part of the festival, a cleansing force to promote fertility for the coming year. Traditionally cattle were driven between the flames to remove ticks and fleas, and ensure the fertility and health of the herd. People also leap over the flames, to cleanse, revitalise, and promote fertility of mind, body and spirit.


Beltane by Adam Browning, on Flickr

Summer Solstice - 21st June

Summer Solstice or Litha celebrates and recognises the power of the sun. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and is a time of growth and life, and also time to acknowledge the suns decline over the months to come, as the days after the solstice will gradually get shorter. People celebrate through the night until sunrise, often at stone circles such as Stonehenge or Avebury.


Litha by Adam Browning, on Flickr

 

[slwx]

Lammas - 1st August

Lammas, or Lughnasadh, is celebrated at the start of August. At this time fields would be full of crops, ready for reaping. The harvest would continue to Samhain. It is a time of plenty as the days shorten, and autumn approaches.



Lammas by Adam Browning, on Flickr

 

[slwx]

Autumn Equinox - 22nd September

Day and night are now of equal length, and the summer is over. As winter approaches, the natural world begins to quieten, harvest is over and it's time to reflect on the summer gone and what has been achieved, and to be thankful for what we have to store and carry us through winter.



Mabon by Adam Browning, on Flickr

 

[posiview]

Hi, Adam, first post June and no comments

Of the set it's Summer Solstice - 21st June for me. Great light and lovely clouds. I'd like to see a landscape orientation.

Not keen on Imbolc - 2nd February, mainly due to the dark lines in the BG. Suspect maybe nothing you could do about that?

Cheers.

 

[slwx]

Hi, Adam, first post June and no comments

Of the set it's Summer Solstice - 21st June for me. Great light and lovely clouds. I'd like to see a landscape orientation.

Not keen on Imbolc - 2nd February, mainly due to the dark lines in the BG. Suspect maybe nothing you could do about that?

Cheers.

Thank you for the reply!

Summer Solstice was cheating slightly. It's a photo I actually took in October and due to time restrictions and weather issues, I was not able to take a similar photo around the actual time. However this was basically the photo I wanted to have taken so used it instead.

I tried many angles with the Snowdrops, as this was the finest specimen I could find! This angle was the best I could manage, other were more cluttered. I tried to edit it out but didn't manage!

 

[slwx]

Samhain - 31st October

Samhain marks the Feast of the Dead. It is believed to be the time of year when the veil separating this world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest, and the spirits can walk amongst the living. It is a time to remember the dead and understand that death is as necessary as birth. It is also a time to reflect on other major changes in your life, and put them behind us and look to the future.


Samhain by Adam Browning, on Flickr

 

[posiview]

Samhain - 31st October

Samhain marks the Feast of the Dead. It is believed to be the time of year when the veil separating this world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest, and the spirits can walk amongst the living. It is a time to remember the dead and understand that death is as necessary as birth. It is also a time to reflect on other major changes in your life, and put them behind us and look to the future.


Samhain by Adam Browning, on Flickr

Like that. Very eerie and reminds me of a scene out of Jacob's Ladder. If you've seen it you'll know what I mean.

The sky wasn't the best, Unless you were after an empty one. I'd have been tempted to lower the POV to get the person's reflection in and maybe a tad closer.

B&w works well.

Cheers.

 

[slwx]

Like that. Very eerie and reminds me of a scene out of Jacob's Ladder. If you've seen it you'll know what I mean.

The sky wasn't the best, Unless you were after an empty one. I'd have been tempted to lower the POV to get the person's reflection in and maybe a tad closer.

B&w works well.

Cheers.

Thank you very much for your comments! I haven't seen it... Lol. I wasn't after the empty sky but it works for me. Everything else fell into place, the position of the tide etc. So I can't complain!

 

[slwx]

Winter Solstice - 21st December

The Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. Considered to be the new year, this celebration marks the return of the sun as the days grow in length


Yule by Adam Browning, on Flickr

 

[vtrjames]

Adam,

I've jus stumbled across this thread following the recent tidy up of the projects section. I must say, I really enjoyed the thread.

James

 

[Ryewolf]

Well, I have to say as a Pagan these really capture the sense of the seasons and the meaning behind eash festival very well.